Modern Day Scheherazades
by prone2dementia
Summary: After waking with a headache and no memory of the night before, Alex is told three outrageous tales, each involving irresponsible underage drinking. Who’s telling the truth – Tom and Fox, Wolf and Snake, or Eagle? Oneshot sequel to A Small World.


Modern Day Scheherazades

_Sequel to A Small World_

Intense light. Pounding pain.

It was an excruciating, full-frontal assault, Alex decided—a full-frontal assault on his senses. Groaning, the teen spy rolled over and buried his face into the muted green pillow.

That gave him pause. Green?

Alarm bells began blaring in his head as his mind tried to connect the dots. He ticked through a mental list of places where he could've fallen asleep, sluggishly clamping down his panic reflexes.

His pillow was white, so he certainly couldn't be in his own bed. Jack's was lavender. Tom's was blue... Who else was there?

After making a list and checking it twice, Alex came to the reluctant conclusion that he was in uncharted territories. An onslaught of questions doubled his headache: Where was he? Whose bed was he in? How did he get here? What'd happened? And why did he feel like something the cat had dragged in, toyed with, swallowed, and then regurgitated?

"You awake?" called a familiar voice, slicing deftly through Alex's growing dread.

"Guh." Alex flipped over. "Tom?"

The spy opened his eyes just far enough to take in the sight of his friend. His touseled, black hair was spiked at odd angles, his clothes rumpled as if slept in. Obviously, Tom had taken part in whatever Alex had done the night previous.

"And how are you on this beautiful morning?"

Alex groaned in response. "Where the hell am I? What happened?"

"You're—" Tom paused abruptly, eyes widening. "Wait, you don't know what happened?"

Alex hesitated, burrowing through his memory. "Last thing I remember was...the football match. And you didn't answer my question. Where am I?"

A new voice joined their discourse. "My flat."

Craning his neck, Alex scanned through the sparsely furnished room. A dark-haired man was striding towards him, limned in light from the partially parted curtains. The planes of his face were softened with a boyish quality.

"...Ben?" If Alex had had the energy to sound surprised, he would have.

But before Ben Daniels could reply though, Tom asked again in shock, "You honestly don't remember?"

Alex scowled, annoyed that he was missing something major. "No. Can you be a little more ambiguous? I'm not completely lost yet."

There was a momentary silence as a succession of expressions flashed across Tom's face, too fast for the other teen to process. Eventually, Tom's features settled into a devious leer. Alex did not like the expression at all.

"So you're saying that you don't remember the club? And the alcohol?" Tom asked.

Alex felt his jaw drop slightly, his mind grinding to a standstill. He turned his incredulous gaze from Tom to Ben, and thus failed to see Tom jerking his head. The motion was aimed at the older man and said plainly "play along".

Ben grinned. "Yes, Alex. I guess the _skills _you picked up on the _job _really come in handy when you're trying to get in a club and convince the barman to give you drinks."

"...Club? Drinks?"

"Yeah. You got us in from a back entrance that I didn't even know existed! I can't believe you forgot! It must've been all that alcohol...," said Tom.

Alex blinked, then blinked again. "Don't tell me. I chugged Vodka and then climbed up on a rooftop to scream _I'm the king of the world!_"

Amused, Tom said, "No, it was actually tequila. And it was the bar top, not the rooftop. You were serenading us with Michael Jackson songs."

Alex futilely attempted to mask his horror. "One: I was being sarcastic. Two: I don't even _know _any Michael Jackson songs."

"One: I _wasn't _being sarcastic. Two: It was karaoke night," Tom parroted.

"You're lying. If you'd heard me sing, you'd be deaf by now."

"Actually," Ben said, shrugging. "You have an all right voice. Just don't quit your day job."

"And pray tell, what club was I in? Why were we there? And how does Ben play into all of this?"

"It was the _Arabian Nights_ in London to celebrate winning our match. Ben happened to find us thoroughly smashed-took us to his flat so we wouldn't do anything stupid."

Alex snorted. "Yeah, because we are _definitely _the types to go clubbing, get drunk, and commit arson, or something stupid like that." His voice was colored with sarcasm. "Why was Ben there in the first place? And I doubt you'd just trust a random guy."

Said 'random guy' jumped in to defend himself. "It was _you _who trusted me, Alex. You mumbled something about not wanting Jack or someone to find out. As to why we were there—well, that was a coincidence, wasn't it? Me and the guys hadn't meant to run into you."

"You and the guys?" Alex asked flatly. "Please don't tell me you're referring to Wolf, Snake, and Eagle."

"That's _exactly _who I'm referring to."

Alex swore colorfully before zeroing in on Tom. "And did it never occur to you that four random guys could be potential pedophiles?"

"I was _drunk, _Alex," Tom stated with the air someone parsing complicated concepts for a two-year-old. "I recognized Nick, too."

"Nick?" Alex's face was blank.

"You know him as Wolf," said Ben.

Alex turned to Tom slowly, unnerved that his _friend_ knew his SAS teammate's real name. "Nick? _Nick_? And what _is_ your relationship with _Nick_?"

"Well, y'know. I date his beloved niece. He likes to check up on us. It's really awkward actually, and it's all _your_ fault too."

"...So this is your idea of revenge?"

"This?" Tom furrowed his brows in confusion.

"This," Alex gestured around the room, then winced and decided better of it.

Tom laughed. "Of course not! I've always been of the opinion that revenge is ice cream, and do you see any ice cream about?"

"Ice...cream...?" Ben interjected.

"Yeah." Then by way of explanation: "Revenge is sweet and a dish best served cold. Thus it's obviously ice cream."

"...Uh?" said Ben.

Taking pity on him, Alex said, "Don't question his logic. Life is easier that way."

"Amen to that," came a slightly accented voice from the doorway, "Kid, your phone went off in the kitchen."

At the label of 'kid', two indignant heads turned to see a short, muscled man leaning against the doorframe, holding out a dark blue mobile. Behind him stood a grinning, fair-haired Scot. Both men looked relatively clean and well rested. Compared to them, Alex thought he and Tom must've looked quite a sight: Tom appeared peaky and particularly small in his loose shirt. Alex had unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) not been offered a mirror yet, but could still guess at the state he was in.

"Shorter kid," Wolf specified.

"I'm not short," Tom scowled, moving away from the bed to take back his mobile. He glanced at the missed call and exited, presumably to somewhere more private, along with Ben, who muttered something about needing the toilet.

"Just vertically challenged," Alex muttered at Tom's retreating form.

"I heard that!"

The three men snickered at their antics, while Alex rolled his eyes long-sufferingly.

"So how're you doing?" Snake asked amiably, pulling up a chair from nearby and straddling it back-to-front. Wolf leant against a table.

"Brilliant. I adore waking up in unfamiliar beds and being lied too."

Smirking, Snake said, "Yeah, Tom and Ben were lying through their teeth. We heard the whole thing."

"I knew it!" Alex crowed triumphantly. "I'd never let myself get drunk—the idea's ridiculous."

Snake looked surprised. "Oh, they weren't lying about _that_ part!"

"They... weren't?"

"No." Wolf smiled wolfishly and shared a _look_ with his companion. "You never got up on the bar top to sing Michael Jackson."

"That's right," the Scot continued. "You got on the stage."

"And pole danced."

"Yeah, to Britney Spears."

"...And I bet I was so sexy you couldn't tear your eyes away—I always knew you guys were pedophiles." Seeing Snake and Wolf blanch, Alex allowed himself a bit of satisfaction. "Anyway, I don't believe you. Any of you."

Snake sat up straighter in his chair. "Why not?"

"What type of spy would I be if I believed everything everyone told me? But, really, if Tom were telling the truth, he would've whipped out blackmail material by now."

"But you forget that he was probably too drunk to think of recording you," reasoned Wolf.

Alex glowered, an expression that could've rivaled Wolf's on a bad day. "Quit ruining my arguments. It didn't happen. I'm sure of it. I don't have the faintest recollection of going to a club and I really doubt that alcohol could erase my memory so completely."

"Actually," a new voice caused the trio to look up, "large quantities of alcohol has been known to cause some degrees of amnesia in certain individuals." The man turned to Wolf and Snake. "By the way, I've finished making breakfast—no thanks to any of _you_."

The new entrant, Eagle, had an apron slung over one shoulder, a cloth in his hands.

Alex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yet another of you has come to torment me? I think the group of you can go into terrorism. You're all certainly skilled in manipulation, lying, and torture. I'm going to need therapy after this."

Eagle chuckled quietly, saying nothing.

"So, do tell this unfortunate soul, who _is_ telling the truth?" Alex sneered at the last word.

"None of them," Eagle said plainly. "They made up the lies to protect you."

"Protect me?" Alex frowned.

"Yes, so you wouldn't know what _really_ happened."

"And what _really_ happened?" Alex wasn't alone in his curiosity. Wolf and Snake looked eager to know, too.

Eagle shook his head. "The truth is often hard to handle, Alex."

Alex glared at him.

"Cub," he said uncertainly, shifting under Alex's gaze, "this really isn't something you'll want to hear."

"Give me your worst." Alex crossed his arms. "I think I've reacted favorably so far. Haven't planned to throw any of you out the window yet."

His words did nothing to reassure Eagle. The man sighed. "Look, Alex. You aren't a... uh, silly drunk. You're..."

The boy gestured impatiently for him to continue.

"You're a... how shall I say, a _promiscuous_ drunk."

Alex's eyes widened. He didn't even want to consider the implications. "Meaning?"

"Meaning you, er," Eagle shifted uncomfortably. His teammates, who had since caught on to the ruse, found themselves commending his acting. "You, er, basically hit on everything with two legs."

There was quiet, eerie like the calm before a storm.

"...Oh, _really?_"

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, Ben was able to catch the last part of Tom's conversation on the phone:

"Yes, Jack, he's fine. We're both fine... Okay, see you in ten." Tom removed the mobile from his ear, pocketing it with a distant expression on his face.

Ben cleared his throat. "So Alex's guardian's name _is_ Jack. I wasn't completely sure."

Tom jerked slightly in surprise, looking up at Ben. "Um, yeah."

"I'm assuming that you gave her our address?"

"Yeah...?"

"Even though MI6 expressly told you not to."

Sheepish, Tom argued halfheartedly, "If revealing our location was really a problem, they would have taken my phone away and put me elsewhere."

Ben frowned. "If Alex's home phone was tapped by the people behind the first attack, you'll have just given them the information they need to plan a second."

"Jack isn't home. MI6 told her to stay away until they figured out the situation. I was talking to her on her mobile. Plus, if anyone has tapped their phone, it'd probably be MI6."

"Why's that?"

"Alex's always complaining about how indiscreet the agents keeping tabs on him are. They're always hanging around the neighborhood so I'm pretty sure they'd catch anyone trying to bug Alex's house."

The man shook his head, "I was actually wondering why you believe _MI6 _would tap Alex's phone."

"Oh," said Tom. "Simple. They don't trust him."

"Because?"

"Do you honestly expect me to reveal the details?" The boy folded his arms and arched an eyebrow in challenge."All you need to know is that Alex could do a lot of damage by going rogue."

Ben studied Tom thoughtfully. "And just how many details do you know about Alex and his job?"

Suspicion flitted over Tom's face. "Did MI6 put you up to this?"

For a moment, Ben's eyes widened in surprise. Then he smiled. "Not a lot gets past you, huh?"

"Did you expect anything different? I'm Alex's friend. I can't afford to be naïve."

"Well, MI6 hasn't put me up to anything. But of course, you don't have to reveal anything if you don't want to."

"I doubt you could _get_ me to reveal anything if I didn't want to," Tom scoffed.

"I wouldn't be so sure. There are many methodsof interrogation out there, and most are rather difficult to resist."

Tom was poised to reply, but a knock at the door cut him off. "That should be Jack," he said. "You get the door, and I'll get Alex."

Ben nodded his acquiescence.

* * *

Entering the bedroom, Tom felt distinctly as if he were walking into the arctic. Alex was sitting up on the bed, radiating a foreboding chill that could've reversed even the most intense global warming. The three SAS agents looked as if they couldn't decide whether they should be fearful or amused.

"I've decided," Alex said slowly, "that this is all a ridiculous dream. I will wake up at any moment now."

Even in the face of Alex's wrath, Snake found himself unable to resist provoking him further.

"Y'know what they say about denial, now," he said, trying to swallow a grin.

"That's right. It isn't just a river in Egypt," agreed Wolf.

Tom wondered what had taken place while he was out of the room. He opened his mouth to ask, but then closed it when he heard two pairs of feet pattering down the hallway. One sounded quick and eager, the other more laid-back. Moments later, a red-haired beauty appeared at the threshold. She took one look into the room, and then immediately launched herself at the boy in bed.

"Oh, Alex! You're all right!" said Jack Starbright. "I was so worried when MI6 told me about the attack. And they wouldn't say anything about where you were, just that you were being protected by some agents."

Alex gently detached himself from his guardian's embrace, looking disoriented. "MI6? Attack? I don't understand..."

"The two attackers after the football game, Alex! Do you mean you can't remember?"

Alex glared through narrowed eyes at the others in the room. "Not one thing. Enlighten me, please."

"Well, I don't know all of the details, of course. What I do know is that you were detained by two men after the game and you'd gotten into a fight. Tom found you unconscious and called the police. The two men ran away, and MI6 decided to get involved. They said that, until they discovered the attackers' motivations, they would put you and Tom under protection. They wouldn't tell me where, though. I tried calling you, but your phone was off. So I tried calling Tom, and...yeah," Jack trailed off after explaining this all in one breath.

There was silence.

"Is - that - so?"

Unaffected by the dangerous calm that had taken over Alex, Jack replied, "Yes. I can't believe you don't remember! The memory loss might be due to a concussion or something." The American scowled. "But MI6 told me you were fine, those bastards. They're always lying to me. Don't you hate when people lie? But, hey, didn't these guys tell you what'd happened?" The female was motioning at K-Unit and Tom.

"No. They didn't. They informed me that I got drunk at a club, sang on the bar tops, pole danced on the stage, and propositioned anyone and everyone. And, yes_, _I _do_ hate when people lie." Alex turned to the others in the room, brown eyes glinting dangerously.

Tom backpedaled. Snake attempted to melt into his chair. Ben hid behind Wolf. Wolf tried to appear fearless and composed. Eagle bit his lip.

Alex said, "Prepare – to – die."

* * *

Thank you for reading.

Yeah, sequels are never on par with the original. Applaud my beta, **Crowlows19**, who convinced me to post.


End file.
